Edison Electric Institute Really Does Not Want You to Go Solar

The Edison Electric Institute, the trade association representing U.S. investor-owned utilities, is at it again. Over the past year, this monopoly of monopolies has been working overtime -- taking extraordinary, unprecedented actions -- to rid the world of the scourge of people generating their own power with solar. The latest: on February 18, EEI filed official comments (PDF) with regulators in Arizona on the subject of valuing distributed generation renewables, including rooftop solar. It’s a remarkable document. EEI wants a fair and balanced evaluation of distributed renewable generation which specifically excludes both the distributed and the renewable values. Some pertinent quotes: “Grid security and reliability values should not be considered in rates.” “Environmental and social externalities should not be included in DG rates.” “DG systems should not be compensated ...